What constitutes a bad first date? Our guest writer was on a dream first date until things took a steep downward curve into…. bizarre, all in just three little words. So what were they?!?
Welcome to our series, The Love Diaries – a space for you to share your experiences, advice, fairy-tale endings, setbacks and heartbreaks. We’ll be hearing from industry experts giving practical advice alongside Capsule readers (You!) sharing your firsthand experiences with love – from the woman who cheated on her husband with a work colleague, one woman’s temptation now the love of her life is finally single (although she’s not), and the woman who forced her husband to choose between her and his girlfriend.
This week we check in with a story from a guest writer at 9Honey who shares her story of a date that went from dream to bad first date in the blink of an eye.
“I was on the dating apps one night when I found Richard. He was absolutely gorgeous and seemed completely “normal” in his profile.
We matched and he asked me out right away. I thought he moved very quickly, which isn’t quite normal – most guys I’ve matched with tend to keep up the chat for a while, then after a few weeks they either decide to ask you out or to ghost you.
Trust me, I’ve been ghosted more times than I care to mention.
Richard suggested a Chinese restaurant I’d heard good things about, so I was keen to catch up and have a nice meal.
We met for a drink first and he was really lovely. He kissed me on the lips, which I highly unusual – if I’d been against that, his move would have backfired dreadfully.
He told me I was pretty and he was so happy to meet me. So far so good. We had a couple of drinks. He was holding my hand by the second drink. Again, I thought that was sweet but mostly because he was good-looking.
I kept waiting for the red flags and so far there was nothing. OK, he still lived with his parents at 28, but he told me that was because he’d recently been kicked out of his rental when the owners moved back. I know that was a common occurrence during the pandemic, so it was OK by me.
We went to the restaurant and Richard said he was very hungry. I was hungry too, but he insisted on the banquet. The food kept coming and it was delicious, but there was no way I could keep up with him. To say he had a healthy appetite was an understatement.
He held my hand between courses. I was buzzing inside; I couldn’t believe this handsome man was actually attracted to me. He kissed me several times during dinner, just pecks on the cheek and lips. Anyone watching us would think we’d been dating for years, or even newlyweds.
We left the restaurant and I invited him back to my place for a drink. OK, I knew we’d be having sex, and there was no way I wanted to go to his place and meet his parents. That would just feel so weird.
We cuddled and kissed on my sofa then moved to the bedroom – but what happened afterwards really freaked me out and I couldn’t deal with it. He sat up in bed, told me he was going to have a shower. I just smiled and nodded. Then he said, “I love you.”
I was so stunned I just said, “Umm, thanks!” then he disappeared into the bathroom. I was so upset. Why did he have to ruin a great night by telling me he loved me on our first date?
I made him breakfast, then he went off to work and I texted him later to say I had a great time but I thought we just didn’t align properly and he’ll make another girl very happy some day. He never replied.
Maybe I should have given him a tip – that you shouldn’t tell someone you’ve known for less than 24 hours “I love you”, because you come across as needy and weird. So I’m still looking for love.
This article was reproduced with permission from 9Honey. To read the original article, click here.
